Full Circle

gti88

Rating: PG13
Genres: Romance, Mystery
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 6
Published: 11/07/2007
Last Updated: 15/07/2007
Status: completed

Two years since the final battle, and things are about to get interesting, as Harry is brought back by a determined girl...

Chapters

1. Rememberance

2. Connection

3. Oh, Woe is Me

4. Surprise Came Knocking

5. Last Stand

1. Rememberance

This challenge has to do with Harry dying and coming back from the dead at one point…I'll try to keep low on the angst, but it must be there because of the nature of the challenge…

Disclaimer: All JK, but the plot

Chapter I: Remembrance

"Avada Kedavra," Harry and Voldemort simultaneously shouted.

The streaks of deadly light met in the middle between them, and formed into a large, ominously glowing green ball. Time stood still, as the curses separated, and hit their respective targets in the blink of an eye. Neither had time to react.

That was two years ago.

Since then, Ron Weasley and Luna Lovegood had formed a family of their own. Two children filled their lives with happiness - Madelyn and James.

Hermione Granger had overcome her wartime trauma, and was well on her way to graduating from the Auror Academy. It had been re-established and improved after Voldemort's death.

One particular Saturday morning, Ron was attempting to make a knot in his tie, but he was failing miserably, and giving up in frustration, he left to look for Luna - she knew how to tie knots.

“Morning, Loony,” he said and kissed her on the lips before grabbing the customary cup of morning coffee. “Could you please help me with my tie?”

“Certainly love,” Luna smiled, and she walked over to him.

“Thank you”

“I had the strangest dream last night,” she said, as she fiddled with the tie, and Ron smiled inwardly, “I dreamt that Harry is alive.”

This was a sensitive issue for Ron. He never completely overcame the loss of his best friends, and his wife had a talent for bringing topics like these in conversation as calmly as if she were talking about today's weather.

“Is that so, love,” Ron said. “It was just a dream. That's all it was,” he sighed sadly, and headed out on the balcony in the sunshine. Luna, in the meanwhile, left the kitchen to check on the children, and raise them for the day ahead.

Hermione was supposed to come by Ron's house to come with them to visit Harry's grave. The second anniversary was today. He had noticed that when Hermione spent time around his family, her spirits lifted as well. Otherwise, she always remained somewhat distant. Probably because of Harry, but she never said why.

The lady in question rang the bell of the Weasley household precisely on time. Luna opened the door, and met the newcomer with a smile.

“Come in, Hermione.”

Hermione stepped into the household, and greeted with a grin of her own. She was dressed in a subdued black dress, and carried a red rose in her left hand.

“Are we ready to go?” she asked.

“In a minute” said Ron.

Two hours later, a Ministry official showed them to where Harry was buried. Neatly trimmed grass surrounded his grave, and a granite headstone was engraved with a relief of his face, and the dates of his birth and death.

Hermione stepped forward, and laid the rose to rest at the base of the headstone. She paused for a second, as her fingers traced Harry's engraving, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

“I know, Hermione, I know,” Ron said softly, kneeling beside her, “we all miss him, but he's in a better place now.”

“Oh, Ron,” she wailed and he hugged her, letting her cry freely against his shoulder.

Hermione had felt the loss more intensely. The reason, Harry and her had been engaged merely a week before Harry lost his life, and since then, she never completely recovered.

Luna laid the bouquet she and Ron had brought, and she observed a minute of respectful silence as well. Sullen, the three of them turned and headed back towards the Ministry car. James and Madelyn were walking alongside their mother, and they were crying, although they had not the faintest idea why. One day, that knowledge could to be revealed to them, but not now.

Later that night, when the children had been put to bed, Luna joined her husband in the living room of their flat. He was sitting on the couch, a faraway look in his eyes.

She sat down beside him. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing, honey, just reminiscing,” Ron answered. “All the crazy things Harry, Hermione and I did back in Hogwarts…”

“Mmm, yes, you three were inseparable back then,” Luna told him. “You always had to run away on some adventure with them when I tried to have you all to myself.”

“I know, but we had to do it,” Ron said tonelessly.

“Ron, you still haven't told me how you finished Voldemort, and why it cost Harry his life,” Luna suddenly said. “You promised you'd tell me one of these days.”

“Ah, so I did,” Ron replied. “Well, the story is quite exciting, but before I begin, we need to go back to Harry's grave tomorrow, so I can show what started Harry on his quest, a year after he was born.”

“Do we have time tomorrow?” Luna asked.

“Yes, I think we do.”

A/N There's chapter one…kind of tame, but the next one will be more intense…expect to see Ginny and…well, enough spoilers for now. Please review!

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2. Connection

As promised, this chapter will be more involved…

Disclaimer: JK owns everything but the plot…

Chapter II: Connection

A cloudless and chilly night had fallen. The stars shone weakly above, and there was a full moon. A werewolf's distant cry pierced the relative peace.

A lone silhouette was running along the road leading out of St. Ottery Catchpole. A hood concealed her face, and she clutched an ancient tome to her chest, as she ran.

She was shaking with anticipation and excitement. This spell was an opportunity to regain the life she had before. When she and Harry were happily together, but now that he was gone, she had found herself incapable of finding a new direction for her life in the post-Voldemort world. But tonight, this was all going to change.

Ginny snuck in the graveyard, stunning the sentry, who stood watch at the gates. Like a snake, she sneaked up behind the ancient oak that overlooked Harry's grave. Looking around carefully, she didn't spot anyone else alive around her. Without further hesitation, she stepped in front of the earthly mould that was on top on Harry's coffin, and opened the book she carried to a previously marked page.

On the yellowed parchment, three words were written:

Enoevarb Odaedeth Morfesir

Ginny raised her wand, and pointed it towards the earth. As she said those words, loudly and clearly, an unnatural wind suddenly picked up speed around her. The hood was blown off her head, and her hair flailed wildly. Scared, but determined, Ginny repeated the words, louder than before.

Rain started to pour all around her, and the earthen mould on Harry's grave had begun to move slightly, as if an invisible force was acting beneath it. Ginny gulped; fear nearly paralyzing her cold and drenched body. She couldn't run away, as her legs were rooted to the ground, unable to move. Shakily, she uttered the spell a third and final time.

Ominous thunder sounded up above Ginny, terrifying her more still. Her breathing was shallow, as she dreaded what could happen next. Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck the headstone, and she gave a shriek of horror. The headstone had been severed down the middle, and the lightning bolt had left a dark, deep crater. The last memory Ginny would recall before fainting was the badly decomposed, wet and smelly hand that rose from the depths of the crater, as another strike of lightning illuminated it brightly against the dark and stormy sky.

**

Slowly, she felt herself come around. She was lying in a bed, covered with a warm blanket. The events of the previous night came rushing to her, but it didn't make sense where she was now. She ought to be still in the graveyard. Then, had it all really happened, or was it just a nightmare? Ginny shivered when she recalled the hand. Yes, it had to have been real, and for now, she wouldn't think about how she had ended up in her own bed. Perhaps a decomposed body, literally a skeleton, had carried her, and she was too exhausted to awaken…but no, that thought was ludicrous…wasn't it?

**

“Here we are,” said Ron, as he held the gates open for Luna to pass through. The children's care had been entrusted to Hermione, as she had refused to come and agreed to watch the kids for the day.

“It's just up ahead here…”

A grisly sight met their eyes. The headstone was cracked down the middle, but it did not look like it had been impacted. The crown of the ancient oak looked singed, and burn marks were present on some of the branches. A hole had been dug, and at the bottom, there was a hole at the top of Harry's rotten coffin, that looked like had been burned through. Dirt was spread in a wide radius from the grave. To cap off the queer sight, there was no body in the coffin.

Luna's dreamy gaze was gone in an instant. It was replaced by one of raw fear.

“Ron…Ron, I was right…” she stuttered. “Harry is alive!”

“What do you mean, he's alive? Obviously someone dug him up and burned his body. Oh, when I get my hands on the fuckin' bastard…” Ron seethed, his eyes flashing in anger, and he clenched his fists tightly. “As soon as I find who did it…”

“What should we do?” asked Luna timidly.

“Tell Hermione. She has a right to know. It'll be hard on her, but its worse to keep it away from her too. After that we can find and murder the bastard who did it.”

They left the destruction behind, walking in haste to first question whether the sentry had seen anything the night before. The inquisition ended quickly, as the guard had not seen, nor heard anything, and yet, he could not explain the wreck that Harry's grave had become.

Ron and Luna moved onwards to Hermione's flat. It was not far from theirs, just two streets away.

**

“So is that what you call a movie?” James asked, when Hermione had taken the videocassette out from the VCR.

“It sure is,” said Hermione, smiling, “did you like it?

“Yeah, yeah!!” James and Madelyn both shouted their approval.

“Well, I'm happy you enjoyed it. We can do it again sometime.”

“Where did mommy and daddy go?” asked Madelyn, in a voice completely different from her jovial one just a moment ago.

“Well…your daddy wanted to tell your mommy a story. A story, which is very important to your daddy, and he had to take your mommy to the graveyard to start it…maybe you too will hear it one day.”

Hermione could not continue. Harry still held a special place in her heart, and she could not force herself to talk about him to anyone.

Suddenly the doorbell rang.

Ron and Luna must have come back earlier than expected, Hermione thought.

That was only a part of the truth, though.

She opened the front door, and as her head turned to look at her visitor, she saw them walk up the road, and suddenly stop dead in their tracks. Looking into the face of the man standing before her, she clearly understood why.

Two brilliant green eyes she had last seen two years ago, were staring down at her.

A/N Second chapter, there it is…hope you enjoyed it and please drop a review…the next chapter won't be as eventful, but it will be more informative…

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3. Oh, Woe is Me

OK…that spell, d'you know what it says? If you guess it, you win a cookie :p

Other than that…onward with the story

Disclaimer: JK owns the characters, except the plot…

Chapter III: Oh, Woe is Me

“Hello, Hermione,” he simply said

She still could not find her voice. The shock of seeing Harry, standing alive and well before her, rattled her to the core. It was not logical that he be alive. She looked at him again. Those eyes, Hermione could recognize anywhere, and this person in front of her was most certainly her best friend. Ironically, that conclusion was the most logical one.

“H…hi,” she stammered. “Is this really…really you, Harry?”

“Yeah, it's me, Hermione,” Harry told her.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, as she ran and flung her arms around Harry, clutching him as tightly as if he was a mirage that would fade away.

She felt a pair of strong arms envelop her as well.

“I'm happy to see you too,” he breathed in her ear.

It was a few minutes before Hermione released Harry from her grip, and grabbing him by the hand, she dragged him inside her flat. Outside, Ron and Luna followed closely, barely daring to believe their own eyes.

Mutely, they entered the flat as well.

Ron's mouth was open in awe. He realized that the story Luna had charged him with telling her was going to become more…involved.

“My dream was true, Ronald,” Luna said vaguely. “Harry is alive.”

As the shock wore down and comprehension finally took a firm root, questions began to surface.

“Harry, what brought you back to us? It has to be very dark magic to rise someone from the dead,” Hermione observed.

“I don't know, Hermione,” he said. “What I do remember is that I suddenly found myself in a confined space, and it was raining. I couldn't recall much else, other than that someone was saying a spell, a girl, I think it was.”

“What happened after that?” Ron inquired.

“There was pain. A lot of pain,” Harry visibly shuddered. “I was carrying something or someone, and then my memory is blank. My last memory is standing in front of Hermione's door.”

Harry's cryptic explanations offered scant insight into his return among the living, save for one - there was a spell involved. Hermione wondered what it could be. She had heard mention of a terrible spell, used last over a thousand years ago, to resurrect an evil, the likes of which the world had not seen in millennia. The tale of horror, as Hermione had read, continued to describe the heroics of Merlin and other famous wizards of the time, who defeated the force, but at an enormous price, which included Merlin's life. Since then, the obscure spell had been banned from being taught, written, or mentioned, until, years later, it was largely forgotten, and few knew of its existence.

Hermione strained her knowledge further. What was that spell? Three vague words flashed in her brain.

Enoevarb Odaedeth Morfesir

With another jolt, she realized this spell had been employed to resurrect Harry. Only one person Hermione knew would be desperate enough to do it - Ginny. The redhead had been very reclusive since Harry's death, and was completely transformed from the vibrant person she was before. Now Hermoine knew the reason for Ginny's self-imposed isolation. She was searching for the spell.

Ron looked at her with wide eyes - the look he gave her when he knew she was connecting facts together, and about to burst forth angrily when she had assembled the truth about the matter. Luna, as usual, had regained her absent expression, despite the fact that a living corpse was standing in the room with them.

“Ron, did you find something in the graveyard when you went to visit?” Hermione asked carefully.

“ I think we did…Luna, give Hermione that book we found on the ground,” said Ron.

“Here it is,” Luna reached in her purse and pulled out the tome Ginny must have had dropped earlier. Hermione flipped through the ancient pages, her features becoming more and more disproving.

“It is as I feared,” Hermione declared gravely, as she pulled a strand of long red hair from the cover. “It was Ginny.”

“What did Ginny do?” asked Ron.

“She gave Harry his life back,” answered Hermione. “And you, Harry, did you not have the faintest inkling that it was Ginny you were carrying back, perhaps to the Burrow!” she turned to the black-haired man, her voice raised.

“I told you, Hermione, it was like I was acting on instinct,” Harry said. “I didn't know it was Ginny I carried back.”

“Didn't you at least recognize the Burrow? I mean that it should've been obvious then that happened!” Hermione snapped as her frustration grew.

“But -“ Harry started in a higher tone, but was cut off.

“Don't tell me you weren't able to see now!” Hermione practically shouted.

“Excuse me, but I didn't ask to be brought back, now did I?” Harry retorted in an aggravated voice.

“Neither did I, but why did you carry Ginny back? She practically treated us all positively terrible for the last two years, and yet you have the decency to…to…” she didn't finish, but sniffed angrily instead.

“Well, what do you want me to do?” Harry fired up all of the sudden. “I went through hell on earth to defeat Voldemort, and I was finally at peace! Why should I have to be in this hell again?”

“It wasn't my idea, believe me,” Hermione shouted through tears.

She could not understand why she was angry with Harry. He hadn't done anything wrong, but yet, here she was, taking out all her pent up frustrations on him.

“I missed you, Harry,” Hermione said in a subdued tone. “Don't get me wrong, I am happy you're back, but I wouldn't go as far as disturbing your peace,” she dissolved into sobs and fell on the couch, crying into one of the pillows.

“Mate, it's good to have you back,” Ron clapped Harry's shoulder, to confirm that he was real. “You don't know what it's been like without you around.”

Harry sighed. He had been forcibly thrust back into the world he was happy to leave behind, and it seemed the Chosen One was back in business, he thought bitterly. This time, to fight the battles of the heart, but whether he would succeed, he strongly doubted.

A/N Chapter three is done and done…next, we get to see more of Ginny, and yet more drama…in the meanwhile, I'd appreciate it if you leave a review

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4. Surprise Came Knocking

Chapter 4

The morning found Arthur Weasley and Remus Lupin sitting in two chairs at the table in the kitchen, and talking about something, while Mrs. Weasley was cooking her infamous pancakes.

“So when d'you reckon we should go?” Mt. Weasley was saying.

“It'll have to be next week. There is no way I'll be able to find time before then,” Remsu answered.

As they talked, Ginny trudged down in the kitchen. She sat down at the table, and helped herself to a couple of pancakes. Grim faced, she was still in daze from what she had accomplished several nights ago.

She had willed herself to believe that Harry was alive. However, she hadn't thought of the details after she had brought him back among the living. How would Harry react? Would he be mad? Happy? Indifferent?

Questions of such nature tormented Ginny's mind night and day, and her mother had not failed to notice someone was wrong with the youngest Weasley.

“Are you alright, Ginny, dear?” asked Molly patiently. “You have been poking at the plate for a good while now.”

Ginny snapped out of her reverie temporarily.

“Oh, yes, Mom, I'm OK,” she hastily lied. “Just a little tired, that's all.”

“We could visit a Healer to see if there's anything wrong with you,” said Mrs. Weasley again, with growing concern about her only daughter. “What is it that's bothering you?”

Ginny sighed, but did not answer. She couldn't possibly tell her mother.

Instead, the response to Mrs. Weasley's inquiry was standing right outside the front door. Someone knocked three times in quick succession.

“Oh, who could be calling this early in the morning!”

Mrs. Weasley reached for the handle, and turned it to reveal her visitors.

Ron and Hermione were standing in front of her. However, behind them, a third person was looking at her - one that ought to be dead.

“Harry!”

Mrs. Weasley felt very faint. There could be no mistaking those eyes. She drew in a sharp breath, and before long, felt consciousness slipping away. Someone caught her, and the rest was utter blackness.

“Harry! What? Is this really you?” Arthur was speaking very quickly, and a terrified Remus was standing behind him, opening and closing his mouth, but no sound came out.

They had just been discussing arrangements for an honorary ceremony in Harry's memory, but this was quite a turn of events.

“Yes, it's me,” Harry answered, calmly and clearly, a slight edge to his voice.

“How is this possible…” Remus was amazed and uncomprehending.

“I don't know,” answered Harry coldly. “Ginny might, though.”

All eyes turned to the redheaded girl.

“Ginny, can you explain this?” Arthur asked disbelievingly.

Ginny was cornered. She sighed again, and nodded. Molly was beginning to stir in Arthur's arms.

“It was a spell I found,” she admitted. “It took me months to track it down. I used it at Harry's grave.”

“Why, Ginny?” Harry asked.

“Because I wanted you back,” she croaked as the full force of what she had done hit her yet again.

“But that's extremely dark magic. I thought that spell was locked in the Department of Mysteries,” Remus exclaimed.

“How did she gain access to it then?” Arthur asked.

“I don't exactly know,” said Remus thoughtfully, as he threw a calculating look at Ginny.

“It doesn't matter how I found it,” the redhead snapped in reply. “The fact is, Harry is here again, and the least you can do is be happy about it!”

“Ginny,” Harry spoke again, “did you ever think about how I would feel?”

No response, as expected.

“I can't believe my sister would do something like this,” Ron put in hoarsely, as Hermione looked on in silent infuriation. “That you would insult us so horribly,” his visage darkened as he said his final thought.

“I'm sorry, alright!” Ginny broke in tears. “I wanted to be happy too, you know. After Harry was gone, I couldn't move on. But now that he's here, we can finally be as happy as we were in Hogwarts.”

That was the breaking point for Harry.

“Be happy! With you!” he bellowed. “Ginny, d'you realize that I went through hell on this earth to destroy Voldemort. I died, so that you could live! How could you have the audacity to bring me back? I was happy up there, with Sirius, Dumbledore, and my parents. I received what I wanted most when I died. My life was miserable before that. I expected you to at least think about me as more than an object!”

“I'll be never interested in you that way again. I told you then, and I'll tell you now - we're too different to be together, and I care about you, but not romantically! Get that thought in your head, finally! I have no interest in being alive as it is, so why in the hell did you bring me back? Just so you could reach your own ends, as you usually do!”

Ginny was speechless, and had begun quietly sobbing, but Harry remained unmoved.

“Kill me,” he said quietly. “Kill me, now.”

She was powerless to do it.

“Someone just point their wand at me and say Avada Kedavra. It's not that friggin difficult!” he shouted again.

No one moved.

“Look, if you kill me, it's what will make me happiest. Please.”

“I can't do that, Harry,” Remus said calmly.

“And why can't you? I lived through hell, why should I have to go through it all again?”

“There are things worth living for, Harry,” Arthur told him.

Harry flashed an angry look around the room, and stepped outside, slamming the door hard behind him. They saw him depart through the front gates, and direct his steps out from the village.

“We should go after him,” Hermione said, and made for the door.

A hand on her shoulder stopped her.

“Leave him be, Hermione. Right now, he needs time to think,” Remus said.

“I just hope you're right, Remus,” Hermione replied.

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5. Last Stand

Chapter V: Last Stand

Harry was standing in the entrance hall of Grimmauld Place, seething in anger. He took out his frustration on the troll leg umbrella stand, which refused to move, as massive as it was, despite Harry's assaults on it.

Harry sat down on one of the uncomfortable chairs, thinking hard about his current position. He wanted to die, desperately.

**

Hermione made her way along the dismal street towards the door of the ancestral Black house. She had ignored Remus' warnings, and wanted to talk to Harry on a personal note.

She banged hard on the door.

“Harry, open up! I know you're in there.”

Harry was, in the meanwhile, writing a goodbye letter. He sighed, as he put his pen down and walked to the front door. He knew Hermione would show up at some point; she knew him too well.

He opened the door slowly.

“Hey, Hermione,” he said.

“Harry, I was so worried,” she hugged him tightly, but he didn't respond to her. “Are you alright?” Hermione asked him, as she pulled back.

“No, not right now. But I'll be,” he answered with a grim smile.

“Don't speak that way, Harry,” Hermione croaked, but her voice died completely when she saw what Harry was holding in his hand.

It was a coil of thick rope.

“You weren't going to…” she managed to say.

Harry looked down at his hand as well.

“I'm going back, Hermione. By any means possible.”

“You cannot hang yourself!” she practically shouted.

“Watch me,” he answered icily, and ran up the flight of stairs to the second floor.

Harry tied one end of the rope to a beam that supported the low ceiling.

“Harry! Please think about what you're doing!” Hermione pleaded, as she ran up as well.

“What is there to think about, Hermione?” Harry asked, as he tied the rope around his neck. “There's nothing for me here, so leave me be!”

“No.”

“Yes. I don't need another miserable life.”

“Use your brain for a second, Harry,” Hermione said angrily.

“And so what if I do? Still doesn't change anything,” Harry replied, as he swung his legs over the railing and sat on it.

“It changes everything, Harry. Do you want to leave behind more misery? Do you want to leave me behind?” she choked out.

“I fulfilled my purpose, Hermione. I think I deserve the peace.”

“You haven't fulfilled our purpose, Harry,” Hermione answered. “I still love you. I was bent on committing suicide after you died, just so I could be with you.”

“So what stopped you?”

“The fact that life is given once, and you have to make the best of it.”

“Really?” Harry smirked. “Well, if you like, we can go together.”

Hermione was appalled by Harry's attitude. It's as if all this was a game for him.

“I would rather live here in this world with you by my side, Harry,” she said seriously.

“And what exactly will be my purpose?”

“Oh, Harry, you can be so thick sometimes! A family. That's what I want, and that's what you wanted!”

“I have a family, Hermione. Up there,” he said solemnly.

“It does no good to dwell on memories, Harry. I want to have a family with you, in this life. What would be the purpose of living then?”

“Hermione, you had two years to get over me. Why didn't you find some other nice bloke who would make you happy?”

“Because my heart died with you, Harry. I couldn't even look at anyone else,” Hermione explained.

“Like that matters,” Harry muttered, but only to himself.

Trouble is, Hermione heard him say that.

“How dare you!”

What followed was a slap, which echoed through the entire house, as her hand connected with his cheek.

That was a fatal mistake.

Harry looked at her with surprise, as Hermione watched in horror how the momentum from her slap carried Harry forward. As if in slow motion, he leaned forward, and as his center of gravity shifted, he fell.

“Harry!” Hermione shouted in panic and dove at the landing. Reaching down, she managed to grasp Harry's wrist, and attempted to pull him up.

Her slender frame could not hold Harry's weight. She felt his hand slip away…soon she was grasping just the fingers, and in the next second, nothing but air.

Thinking quickly, Hermione took out her wand and aimed it at the rope. Wordlessly, she directed a severing charm at the rope.

It worked. Harry, who would have narrowly reached the rope's full length, fell hard on the floor below. Seeing him crumble in a heap, Hermione rushed down the stairs.

“Harry, are you alright?” she said anxiously, landing roughly on her knees to look over him.

He turned on his back, a grimace of pain on his face.

“I think I broke my leg,” Harry said through gritted teeth. “Ow, no, no, don't touch it there, it hurts.”

Hermione uttered a second spell, this time aimed at Harry's leg, which stopped it from moving, and hopefully, numbing the pain at the same time.

He visibly relaxed.

“So, Harry, are you still bent on dying? You almost killed yourself as it is,” Hermione said disapprovingly.

“You saved me, Hermione,” Harry replied, in a completely different voice. It was no longer self-pitying and sarcastic.

“Well, if I didn't, I'd be weeping over your dead body right now,” Hermione snapped.

“Thank you.”

Hermione's visage changed instantaneously.

“What are you saying, Harry?”

“I've realized my mistake, Hermione. This is my second chance at a future with you. It's what I've always wanted, and you made me see that,” he explained. “Near-death experiences do have the tendency to put you in the right frame of mind, it seems.”

Hermione sighed in relief, and a small smile came to her face.

“Just don't do it again, Harry. I couldn't live without you,” she said quietly.

They stood in each other's embrace for an indeterminate period of time, until a loud nose brought them back to earth.

The front door had been blasted open. Remus walked inside, followed by Mr. Weasley, and Mrs. Weasley bringing up the rear.

They stopped abruptly at the sight of Harry, the rope still around his neck, sitting up against the wall, and holding Hermione in his arms.

“Harry!” Remus said, “What happened to you?”

The Weasleys were speechless.

“I was about to go back, Remus, but Hermione made me see sense.”

“So…so that means, you'll be around us then?” Mrs. Weasley asked, amazed.

“It does, Mrs. Weasley.”

A collective sigh of relief.

“Well then, let's fix up your leg, Harry,” said Mr. Weasley happily, and proceeded to perform a complicated bone-fusing spell.

A short-lived sting of pain, and Harry's leg was as good as new. He tenderly stood up, slowly favouring his newly repaired foot. Beside him, Hermione was to be found, a large grin hitched on her face.

“I love you, Harry,” she said, finally doing something she had not the possibility to do for the longest time.

She gave him a kiss. It was not intense, just one that was slow and rhythmic. He responded in kind, smiling against her lips.

“With your help, I think I'll be fine, Hermione,” he told her. “I love you too.”

Hermione's grin grew even larger when she heard those words. Yes, she thought, their future certainly looked bright.

The End.

A/N Well, the end of the story…I hope you enjoyed it…please leave a review, and I shall see you soon on my next project…

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